A day after the Lok Sabha passed a Bill to grant ownership rights to people living in unauthorised colonies in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday that residents of these colonies need registration of their properties and not a new law. The Chief Minister asked people not to trust anyone until they get registration papers in their hands as previous Governments had promised the same, but failed to meet it.

Kejriwal also attacked the BJP-led Central Government, saying that the saffron party’s promise will end up as betrayal as the Congress did earlier.

“Former Chief Minister Sheila Dixit during the Assembly elections also promised that her Government would provide registry to the people, but did nothing after coming into power. People have been betrayed before and they should not be betrayed again”, he said.

“People are not concerned with laws, rules, and regulations; they are only concerned with whether they are provided with proper registry papers of their properties. People need registry and not a law, but when will it happen, it is unknown,” he said.

Kejriwal further said “It is being said that property registration papers will be given to people six months after the Assembly elections. The BJP is also saying that rest of residents will be given registration papers after Assembly polls, but who knows what would happen later.”

“I have heard that in coming days, they (BJP leaders) will hold rallies to give registry to 100 people for photo op. I want to ask why just 100 people and not all residents of unauthorised colonies,” Kejriwal said.

The Delhi Assembly elections are due early next year.

“We sent the detailed proposal to regularise the unauthorised colonies to the Centre on November 12, 2015, immediately after formation of our Government in Delhi,” he said, adding that the registry process should have been started six months ago.

The Chief Minister also assured that if the Union Government starts the process of giving the registry documents to the property owners, Delhi Government is completely ready to complete the issuance of registry documents within 15 days.

As the Lok Sabha passed the Bill, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday tweeted, “History Created! I join more than 40 lakhs fellow citizens of Delhi to celebrate the passing of NCT of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Bill 2019 in LS & thank PM Sh Modi Ji for making this visionary step possible.”

Although the BJP credited the Prime Minister with taking the step to provide ownership rights to residents of unauthorised colonies, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi has alleged that the legislation is a “lollypop” brought with the “ill-intention” of wooing the people living in such areas.